Gathering of French people

See also: RPF

The Rassemblement of French people ( RPF ) was a political movement founded by the general de Gaulle the April 14th 1947 to implement its political program exposed in the Discours of Bayeux. During its short existence (1947 - 1954), the RPF was the main movement of opposition to the {{IVe}} République (with the PCF), wanting to be located beyond left cleavage right-hand side/. The RPF was the only movement of the history of the Gaullisme founded and chaired by Charles de Gaulle and the only movement to join together all the gaullists.

Genesis

During the Second world war, the de Gaulle general had refused to create a Political party. In 1945, MRP had had the appearance of a party of fidelity initially but the rupture with the popular republicans was consumed as of 1946 in connection with the choice of the institutions to give to France.

The decision to create the RPF is made during the winter and is announced by the de Gaulle general in her Discours of Strasbourg of the April 7th 1947 pronounced since the town hall of Strasbourg, Place Broglie. At the time of the advertisement of its official creation, the April 14th 1947, the de Gaulle General invites to join it “all the French and the Frenchwomen who want to link themselves with him for common safety”.

The de Gaulle general wished that the RPF not be a party but a gathering. This is why he proposed dual membership, allowing the members of all the political parties, except those of the PCF and those which were compromised with the Régime of Vichy, to adhere to the RPF while remaining in their party of origin but it was overall a failure.

In one year, the number of adhesions with the RPF will reach the half-million (just behind PCF), mainly resulting from the middle-class (junior craftsmen, tradesmen, staff and employees). The RPF attracts at the time more women than the other political parties (more than one quarter of manpower). But its success is before any policy because it attracts as well Monarchiste S Maurras his (Pierre Bénouville, the Colonel Rémy) that republicans of left (André Malraux, Jacques Soustelle, Rene Capitant), the moderate ones (Gaston Palewski), of the Christian-Democrat (Louis Terrenoire, Edmond Michelet) that radicals (Jacques Chaban-Delmas, Michel Debré) of the Socialists like Louis Vallon and even Manuel Bridier, national leader of the Communist youths.

Program

The initial goal of the “Gathering of French people” was to fight against the “exclusive” mode of the parties, to be opposed to advanced Communism and to promote a new constitutional reform privileging the executive power. The RPF is thus intended to be a combat instrument against the institutions of the 4th republic (absolute priority) and against the Communists (speech of the July 27th 1947, with Rennes where the de Gaulle general qualified the Communists of separatists). The Speech of Bayeux (June 1946) and of Épinal (September 1946) are the bases of the gaulliennes proposals out of institutional matter. De Gaulle denounces a mode where “the bargainings of the parties pass before the interests of France” and supports the principle of a strong executive proceeding of the people.

The January 4th 1948, at the time of the Speech of Saint-Etienne, the de Gaulle general also made proposals out of socio-economic matter: the profit-sharing scheme consisting in seeking a third way between Capitalism and Collectivism. The RPF obtains a Working Action (AO) powerful and established well and also appears through trade unionism independent of the CGSI.

In foreign policy, the RPF announced its concern concerning the projection of the Communisme in the French Union and the situation in Indo-China; He was wary of the rebirth of the German State and disapproved the European initiatives of France (creation of the the Council of Europe, Plan Schuman, ECSC, and CED). In the name of national independence, the movement gaullist showed also increasingly hostile with the evolution transatlantic relations and recommended confederated Europe based on the right of the nations.

In 1951, a book France will be France. What Charles de Gaulle wants is published to make known the ideas of the founder of the RPF.

In spite of temptations of the base, the general de Gaulle, very popular, drew aside all the solutions of force recommended by his partisans and refused any drift Bonapartist movement. It is also necessary to note a refusal of the RPF by some gaulliens of weight like François Mauriac.

Electoral successes and political failures

The RPF was a great success as of the municipal elections of the October 19th and 26th 1947 with 35% of the votes and many conquered town halls, such those of Lille, Marseilles, Bordeaux (with Jacques Chaban-Delmas), Strasbourg, Rennes, Versailles, Mans, Nancy, and 52 chief town of department (38% of the votes in the cities of more than 9000 inhabitants, 1/3 of the cities of more than thirty thousand inhabitants). With Paris, Pierre de Gaulle, brother of the general, become president of the Municipal council. The penetration of the RPF in rural France (acquired with the Christian democrats of the MRP) remains however poor. The RPF benefitted from its municipal victory to require the dissolution of the House of Commons. Without success. On the contrary, the members of Parliament delayed the cantonal elections planned for October 1948 in March 1949 what led de Gaulle to organize the countryside of the stamp to reinflate the movement gaullist financially (Nearly two million and half of labels of fifty francs are sent by French).

The management of the social events of the autumn 1947 will contribute to weaken the movement gaullist. Indeed, it is the government of the Third force and its Minister of Interior Department Jules Moch which restore the order at the time when many French fear a swing of the country towards a Communist regime. The recourse to de Gaulle then seems less necessary for the conservatives, the moderate ones and employers whereas its image starts to be degraded in the public opinion.

In November 1948, the RPF takes part in the elections of the Council of the republic. 42% of the elected senators were registered with the joint committee gaullist but only 56 senators set up a true group gaullist (democratic and republican Action).

For this period, the de Gaulle general is then interdict of radio antenna whereas the national newspapers are very mainly hostile for him. He must thus move in all France to make known his program but he could count on a new press affiliated to the RPF like " The étincelle" , " Rassemblement" (1948-1954), " Freedom of Esprit" (1949-1954) but also on some local editions like the " Democrat of Charentes" , " the Way libre" (bulletin). But all this press gaullist will know only one weak diffusion.

They are displacements of the de Gaulle General or her doors words official (Jacques Debû-Bridel, Jean Freiburg, André Malraux, Gaston Palewski, Genevieve de Gaulle, the Colonel Rémy, Jean Nocher, Robert Boulin) which popularize its speeches. But on these occasions, the meetings of the RPF are accommodated sometimes by Communist militants with the cries of " fascistes" and of the confrontations often gaullists and Communists oppose then (In Grenoble, the service of order of the RPF is blamed following wounds by balls and of a death).

In 1949, the cantonal elections are a new success for the RPF (although the score is in withdrawal compared to the municipal elections of 1947). Its fortified towns are the north of France (beyond a line Bordeaux - Geneva): Lorraine Alsace, , Northern, Paris, the Seine, West, Atlantic littoral to the Basque Country.

In spite of these electoral successes, the RPF knew a significant fall of the number of its members while at the same time its position was reinforced in the world studied via Pierre Dumas or Jacques Dominati.

The preparation of the legislative of 1951 is done not without difficulties and the nominations or the refusal of nomination of candidates are made in the punctuated discord several resignations.

In 1951, the RPF obtains more than 4 million voice (22,3% of the votes and 16,8% of the registered voters) and 117 Député S but the new electoral system known as of the '' political alliances '' limited its success. The impact desired with legislative did not take place (it wished to obtain more than 200 elected officials) and deputies RPF are not enough numerous to modify the industrial relations policy, nor the institutions.

Towards the deactivation of the RPF

In the opposition, the RPF saw a true ostracism on behalf of the other political parties whereas some of its members of Parliament try to join again despite everything the contacts against the opinion of the de Gaulle general who refuses any compromising. So Jacques Soustelle, had a presentiment of to assume the chairmanship of the council, will have to give up.

The March 6th 1952, the dissensions within the movement end up leading to a scission. Twenty-seven deputies RPF voted the nomination of the government of Antoine Pinay against the opinion of the de Gaulle general. They are then excluded.

In July 1952, forty-five additional deputies RPF break with the movement gaullist.

The following year, the May 6th 1953, the de Gaulle general returned their freedom to the members of Parliament after the result of the municipal elections where the RPF loses half of its votes and several of the cities conquered into 47 (Lille, Marseilles in particular). He explains this failure by the treason of the right-hand side, culprit to have given up it once the communist threat had ceased being it. Among these marked personalities from the right of opportunism the deputies are aimed at who invested Antoine Pinay in 1952 (among which Edouard Frederic-Dupont, Henry Bergasse).

Others charge this failure of the RPF to competitions and personal ambitions, with the authoritative operation of the party, its too muscular methods for some (with a service of a nature related to the underworld Marseillaise) or with its methods considered too timorées for others. Some estimate, like François Mauriac, that the de Gaulle general should never have dropped to enter the political arena whereas others estimate that the gathering failed fault of sufficient sifting of the personalities having joined the RPF, allusion made to certain politicians as Edouard Frederic-Dupont who had voted the full powerss with the marshal Pétain. The idea of dual membership was a failure and the other parties prohibited it, qualifying with the passage the de Gaulle general again Général Baker.

While returning their freedom with the members of Parliament, De Gaulle tries to preserve her militant base.

Those of the members of Parliament remained faithful to de Gaulle were then found in the Union of the republicans of social action (URAS) become the Social republicans while the dissidents, behind Edmond Barrachin, found themselves in the republican and social Action (ARS).

The vote of the elected officials gaullists takes part, with that of PCF, with the failure of CED in 1954 whereas their ideas are maintained within the civil society.

The September 13rd 1955, the RPF is definitively put in sleep. Certain members of the young people of the RPF (JRF, Paris-youths) will continue a solitary action around the newspaper " The telegram of Paris" , future base of the movement gaullist of left Face of Progress, the Movement for the Community (MPC), organization of armed struggle against OAS at the end of the war of Algeria and in 2006 of the Academy of Gaullisme.

Heritage of the RPF

For the de Gaulle general, according to her clean dires reported by Alain Peyrefitte, the RPF will have been “a half success or a half failure”. It will have especially made it possible to prepare the “recourse” of 1958 when the old networks of the RPF are given into active to prepare the return of the de Gaulle General to the businesses then to create UNR, Jacques Foccart, his last general secretary, gathering in the same time of former members of the service of order of the Gathering to constitute the civic Service of action (SAC).

The RPF will have been also used to affirm a political culture gaullist based on personal fidelity with the man, the Appel of June 18th, the memory of the resistance, the aspiration with the social transformation by association and national independence.

Historical personalities of the RPF

General secretaries

Other personalities

Quotation

  • " I invite to join me in the Gathering all the Frenchwomen and all the French who want to link themselves for common safety, as they did yesterday for the release and the victory of France " - General Charles de Gaulle, declaration of April 14th 1947 announcing the creation of the RPF
  • " to come Here the bankruptcy from the illusions. It is necessary to prepare the recourse ". - General Charles de Gaulle, declaration of May 6th 1953 the shortly after the municipal elections.

Notes and references of the article

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